The Tribune

By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Senior Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

THE government lost an estimated $7.5m in revenue after finance and accounting officers throughout the public service withdrew their services from Monday to Friday of last week in what the Ministry of Finance has called an illegal “coordinated sickout”.

“The impact of this action on the delivery of services was severe. No payments to vendors or employees were processed, and more importantly, the accounting and collection of revenue were impacted. The estimated financial impact of this coordinated sickout to the government was $7.5m due to revenue lost or foregone and (lost) efficiency,” the Ministry of Finance said.

 Pia Glover-Rolle, Minister of State for the Public Service, said she is awaiting a final report of how many people participated in the sick out. However, at the peak of the matter, as many as 100 workers may have failed to report to work.

 Bahamas Public Service Union president Kimsley Ferguson did not respond to calls and messages seeking comment.

 The ministry said the immediate impact of the sick out is that promised payments to public officers could be delayed again.

 “The Prime Minister had indicated in the supplementary budget that a decision on reinstating those increments would have been made around the mid-year budget, which would cost the government an additional $7m. Given the losses experienced by the sick out, this reinstatement in all likelihood, would be deferred,” the ministry said.

 The Ministry of Finance added: “As this was not industrial action authorised by the Bahamas Public Service Union, the bargaining agent for this group of employees, the government is not aware of any grievance. The president of the BPSU, Mr Kimsley Ferguson, was also unavailable to meet with public officials for the entire week of the sick out.

 “However, Mr Ferguson had previously been in contact with Ministry of Finance officials concerning matters related to finance and accounting officers. The matters pertaining to issues of promotions and allowances are long-standing matters, and their resolution has been complicated by a decision by senior public officials in the Ministry of Finance and the Treasury to give these same officers an unauthorised pay increase and promotions in February 2021.

 “Finance and accounting officers received an average salary increase of $5,000 during this exercise, although no approval was ever granted by the Public Service Commission.  This lack of approval from the Public Service Commission means that these officers can’t receive job letters reflecting their new salaries, and their retirement benefits would also not reflect their new salaries.

 “Work started in October 2021 to correct this situation. Still, some finance and accounting officers apparently believe that they should be exempt from the public service’s financial rules. Through this coordinated work stoppage, they felt they could have coerced the government to accept this unauthorised pay increase.”

 The Ministry of Finance said no group of employees should hold the entire public service hostage.

 “It is unfortunate that this selfish act has impacted so many other public officers through the possible continuation of increment deferrals and also vendors of the government,” the ministry said. “The government is committed to continuing the exercise to regularise this unauthorised pay increase received by these officers. The government would also take steps to minimise future disruption in its services by the illegal withdrawal of labour from this class of employees.”